The Sweetest Cure
by braniacfive
Summary: AgentReign. Sam and Alex fall in love
1. Chapter 1

Alex Danvers. The agent had just come in from the DEO and was currently sitting at Sam's dining room table helping Ruby with homework. An intimidatingly large mathematics textbook was splayed out on the table along with a notebook and some spare working paper. Ruby's brow was furrowed in concern while Alex seemed to have a look of excitement on her face as she explained how to solve a problem.

"Oh I get it now!" Ruby exclaimed happily.

The agent smiled proudly. "That's great, kid. Now I think we can move on to some of the more difficult questions."

Ruby sighed suddenly. "I wish I was better at math. I bet you didn't have to get tutored."

Alex smiled. "Ruby, you're not bad at math at all." She leaned towards Ruby conspiratorially and said in a hush-hush voice, "Do you want me to let you in on a secret?"

"Yes please!" Ruby smiled.

" _I_ had to get tutored in physics. And hey, you're looking at a doctor of bioengineering here," Alex laughed, gesturing at herself. "Plus, in high school I was always better at rugby than math. I mean I loved mathematics, but I guess all those rugby concussions didn't help."

Ruby giggled and then suddenly she perked up.

"Wait, Mom, can I play rugby in high school? That sounds so awesome!"

"Oh my god, Alex. Look what you've done," Sam groaned while stifling a grin from the kitchen where she was making Ruby dinner. In truth, she was making enough for the three of them – she wanted Alex to stay for dinner. It was nice having Alex's company. Sam couldn't deny that Alex's presence was comforting, and with her, Alex, and Ruby it felt like…Sam couldn't precisely put it in words…but it felt like _family_.

"No, kiddo. Unfortunately, Alex didn't sell it to me." She laughed at her pouting daughter. Although Sam internally reasoned to herself that if her daughter really wanted to pick up the sport she wouldn't stop her.

"You should listen to your mom, Rubes. Don't waste your soccer talent on a sport for brutes," Alex laughed.

Sam smiled to herself as the sounds of Ruby and Alex's conversation filled her ears and she let herself relax. Her whole life had been about dogged-determination with hardly any time for the relaxation she felt now. It had been no easy feat to raise a daughter by herself at the age of 16 to becoming a CFO of a big company.

But nothing had prepared her for Reign.

 _Reign_. Even the name itself was painful. The DEO along with L-Corp had managed to separate Reign from her with black kryptonite and had banished Reign to the Phantom Zone, but the trauma from being a programed killing machine had not been banished. Not even close.

Nothing had also prepared her for her feelings for the woman who had come into her life when she needed it most. Alex had not only ended up being her strongest support system throughout the ordeal, she had also been there for Ruby. Ruby loved Alex a lot and Sam could tell.

And that wasn't all. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was developing a serious crush on someone. Scratch that, it wasn't just a crush, it was a head-over-heels kind of feeling.

Alex wasn't only amazingly kind, strong, selfless, and smart – she was also extremely hot, as shallow as that sounded.

Sam looked over to the woman sitting a mere two meters away from her. Alex was still in her DEO uniform which showed off her lithe, toned body. Sam closed her eyes and she could picture Alex's deep, dark brown eyes, her protruding collarbone, her neck, her sexy jawline. And then there were Alex's quirks, the way she licked her lips when she was nervous, her smirk, her leather jackets and tight jeans, the way she always wore her watch backwards like a cool secret agent, the way she smiled…

There was no denying it. Sam knew she had it bad.

* * *

It was after dinner, Ruby had finished her homework and was in her bedroom, and Alex was helping her clean the kitchen and put away dishes.

As Sam was drying a plate from the dishwasher, she felt Alex behind her, close enough that she could almost feel Alex's breath.

"Hey, Sam, thanks so much for having me over for dinner again. It beat having dinner by myself. Plus you make a really great pasta salad."

Sam turned around to face Alex. She became acutely aware that they were only about a foot apart. Alex's eyes widened, and she looked…adorable?

Sam suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion. Without thinking she put down the plate and reached out to grab Alex by her shirt. Impulsively, she pressed her lips to Alex's and felt electricity run through her entire body.

Alex moved her hands down to Sam's hips and slowly kissed back and Sam quietly gasped at Alex's response. Sam removed her grasp from Alex's shirt and wrapped her arms around Alex's neck. Their kiss deepened as their bodies were flush against one another.

After what felt like only seconds, a phone rang sharply in the background. Alex suddenly pulled away from Sam and took out her phone from the back pocket of her black jeans. She answered the phone and looked to Sam.

"The-the DEO. There's-there's an alien attack…I-I have to go. Thank you for everything again."

Alex stared at Sam for a long moment and took off.

* * *

Alex hopped on her motorcycle and after she let the engine roar she gritted her teeth and sped off into the night.

What the heck had just happened? Did Sam just kiss her? Did she just kiss Sam back? Is that what Sam wanted?

Thoughts were racing though Alex's mind as she felt a cold wind whip over her body. Her heart was pounding, and she still felt Sam's lips on hers, Sam's body against her own. How Sam faintly smelled like bergamot and jasmines.

Alex had been slowly developing feelings for Sam for a while now. She realized that although she didn't want to admit it to herself just yet. Sam was so sweet, so hardworking, so tough, and such a wonderful mother to Ruby. And Sam was…gorgeous. Her olive skin, her chocolate eyes, her pretty hair…

Alex cursed under her breath. This was the first time she had felt this way about someone since Maggie. The feelings scared her. She knew that she wasn't good for Sam romantically. She was too reckless, too impulsive. Sam and Ruby deserved someone better, like Maggie had. She would just wreck things again.

* * *

Sam stared at the drying towel in her hand as she continued to put away dishes. Why did she have to do such a bone-headed stupid thing? It was after Reign, Sam thought, that she was becoming more emotionally vulnerable, apt to bad decisions and falling apart.

She could still feel the heat of Alex's body on her own. Sam missed Alex already, but at the same time was too scared to ever see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Thanks everyone for the comments! I can't promise anything good, but I hope you'll enjoy.

 _"Alex, what am I going to do? I want to…no I need to make things the same as they were. I need to be there for Ruby, I need to be there for Lena…" Sam's eyes were brimming with tears._

 _"Sam, you can't make things the same as they were."_

 _Sam looked up at Alex, tears falling down her cheeks._

 _"Sam, there's no way. You can't pretend that it didn't happen."_

 _Sam's body wracked with tears._

 _"Sshh, Sam, I know you're stronger than you can even think." Alex held her. "And you have me. And Ruby. And everyone else..."_

Sam sat stoically on the couch in her den. She held a glass of chilled pinot in one hand as she was going over financial data for L-Corp for what seemed like the hundredth time. Why that memory had popped in her head just now she wasn't sure, but she felt a strong surge of emotion – for the woman who provided her comfort when she had needed it most.

She also realized, with regret, that she hadn't seen that woman in two days since their kiss.

Although, if Sam hadn't seen Alex since their kiss, she definitely kept hearing about her. Ruby talked about Alex a lot, in fact, Sam was pretty sure she wasn't the only Arias with a crush on the agent.

Sam closed her eyes and was brought back to the morning. She was driving Ruby to school and Ruby was looking down at her phone, giggling manically to herself.

"Whatcha looking at kiddo?"

"Alex updated her Instagram!"

Sam had scoffed out loud. "Alex has an Instagram? I don't believe it."

"I told Alex to make an Instagram and to follow me!"

At Sam's laughter Ruby quickly showed what she had found so hilarious. Alex had uploaded a picture (that presumably Kara had taken) of herself holding Kara's new cat with the hashtag _'streakythesecond.'_ Both the cat and Alex looked grumpy and Sam couldn't help but laugh along with Ruby.

And then there was Ruby at dinner. Ruby had done well on her math test and was beaming in a way that made Sam happy.

"I can't wait to tell Alex! She's gonna be so excited!"

"You bet, kiddo," Sam had replied, beaming back at her daughter.

Sam opened her eyes and was once again brought back to the present. Alex hadn't even been there today, and Sam had felt so much happiness in heart because of her.

She really wished she hadn't kissed Alex like that. She had made it all awkward between them and now they weren't even texting each other.

* * *

 _A day later._

Alex gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath. She had made a serious mistake – what was supposed to have been a simple operation was ending badly and it was because she had incorrectly assessed the situation.

The task force she was in charge of was supposed to apprehend a reckless alien. What Alex hadn't anticipated was that the alien was a ruse for Cadmus to take out Supergirl. And somehow, beyond all circumstances, not only was Cadmus operating with Lillian Luthor in jail, the organization also had access to kryptonite.

Supergirl was currently on the ground in pain, debilitated by the kryptonite, Alex's team was dispersed, and vision was blocked by smoke bombs.

Alex knew she had to react fast. She yelled at her team to evacuate and took out an emergency weapon she and Winn had been working on from her tactical vest. The weapon was untested, and Alex hadn't planned on using it any time soon, but she supposed that if there ever was a perfect time to use it, it was now.

After her team had evacuated, she threw the weapon in the air towards Supergirl and covered her eyes with her arm. It was a yellow sun grenade, similar to J'onn's creation, but more concentrated and powerful.

The force of the explosion surprised her, and she felt her body jolt back. Alex distantly perceived that she was losing consciousness, and now all she could do was trust Supergirl.

As Alex blacked out, memories of Kara and Maggie flashed through her mind. But now, added to that, were memories of Ruby and Sam. Ruby's laughter…Ruby playing soccer. Sam smiling and joking around…how beautiful Sam was…Sam's lips on hers…

* * *

"What?" Sam was trying not to panic. She was on the phone with Kara learning that Alex had been injured on the job. Kara was trying to sound calm, but her strained voice belied her worry.

"Alex is being treated at the DEO right now. She got a pretty bad electric shock and went into cardiac arrest."

Sam could feel her stomach drop and her heart rate accelerating. What if Alex didn't make it? How would Ruby take the news? How would she, herself, be able to handle it?

"Thanks for telling me, Kara. I'll be there right away."

As Sam entered the DEO she was flooded with painful memories of her time being treated for Reign. But that wasn't what was important to her right now. What was important was Alex.

She was led by a uniformed agent to the DEO's medical bay where Alex was being treated. The agent nodded to her and left as she was greeted by Kara, J'onn and Winn.

"How's Alex?" Sam said. She could barely hear herself above the sound of her pounding heart.

"Thanks to Supergirl, she was given medical attention in time," J'onn said glancing at Kara. "Right now, we just have to wait for her to wake up."

Sam nodded through her tears, grateful for the update. "Can I see her?"

* * *

Alex stirred and groaned in her bed. What time was it? Was she hungover? She sat up and groggily registered that she wasn't in her apartment, but in the DEO's medical unit. That's right – she had blacked out after throwing the sun grenade. At least she hadn't drank like an idiot.

Alex looked down at her arms and saw bandages. Probably burns she surmised, but not so bad because there was no evidence of surgery. And, Alex guessed, she had knocked her head pretty hard because it felt like it had been trampled on by a dozen Kryptonians.

The table at her side contained a debriefing from J'onn which Alex read gratefully. The grenade had worked against the effects of kryptonite on Supergirl. Alex winced as she read that the DEO medical staff had to use a defibrillator on her. So, the grenade was more humanly lethal than she and Winn had thought. Alex briefly wondered what had happened to the Cadmus goons surrounding Supergirl.

No, she wasn't going to think like that. If Cadmus wanted to take down Supergirl, they knew that meant war.

That's when Alex heard soft breathing. She looked around and saw a sight that made her pulse quicken. Sam was sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room, still in her business attire, with her hair tied back, looking tired, but extremely beautiful nonetheless.

Alex was taken back to another time she had woken up in the DEO's medical unit. It was after she had been captured by a stalker and had almost been drowned. That had sucked, but what made it worth it was the seriously gorgeous woman waiting at her bedside.

"Sam," Alex whispered.

Sam murmured to herself but didn't awaken.

"Sam," Alex said a little bit louder, but still gently.

Sam started and opened her eyes. "Oh my god, Alex."

Sam rushed to her feet and came over to Alex's medical cot. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from stress and lack of sleep.

Alex smiled weakly. "Hi."

Sam tenderly held Alex's hand. "How…how are you feeling?"

"My fault…had to use some experimental biochemical weapon…fine now…" Alex tried to sound nonchalant, as if she had just gotten a scrape, but she didn't like how hoarse her voice sounded. She looked up at Sam's face and realized that the other woman had tears in her eyes.

"Alex," Sam accused through tears. "You almost died."

Alex had seen the tough woman cry because of Reign, because she was terrified for Ruby, but never because of Alex herself. The painful realization stung.

"Hey, hey…it's okay." Alex ignored whatever physical pain she was feeling and gently held Sam close to her.

"You…you…" Sam sputtered but couldn't finish her sentence.

"How long have you been here?" Alex asked quietly.

"Just a couple hours. Ruby's with Lena," Sam sniffled softly.

Another painful realization struck Alex.

"Does Ruby know?"

Sam shook her head. "Ruby knows you got hurt, but she doesn't know how bad."

Alex sighed into Sam's shoulder. Despite her guilt, it felt nice just holding the beautiful woman in her arms and hearing that Ruby was okay.

Alex knew her job was dangerous. Biotech weapons, deadly aliens, broken bones? That was just another day. Her and Maggie had an understanding between them – they both had dangerous jobs and they both knew that it was possible that one of them might not make it home that day. But even Maggie had been unimpressed by the mortality rate of a human DEO agent.

That's when Alex realized something. She had to live in the moment, even though it could potentially screw everything up, like it had when she had proposed to Maggie in the spur of the moment.

"Sam," Alex murmured. "I have to apologize for something."

Sam broke free from Alex's embrace. "For _this_? You better apologize." Sam's lips were almost upturned, but Alex had a feeling she was serious.

"For this, yes. But for how I was being selfish."

"Selfish about what?" Sam whispered.

"For shutting you out after we kissed." Sam suddenly froze.

"Look, I have feelings for you," Alex barreled on despite Sam's reaction. "I shut you out because I was scared. I don't know if you want to start something with me. I have a dangerous job, I messed up my last relationship, I might not be the most stable person ever...

But...I really like you Sam." Alex looked up at Sam gauging for a response.

"What are you saying, Alex?" Sam asked hesitantly, as if she was scared to hear Alex's answer.

"Maybe, one day, would you like to-would you like to go on a date with me?"

Sam's entire face suddenly lit up. "Yes, Alex Danvers, I would really like that." For the first time since Alex had seen her that day she was smiling

"G-great," Alex stuttered happily

"But please," Sam laughed. "Please focus on your recovery first."


End file.
